THE MISSION one•n•ten provides support services to enhance the lives of LGBTQ youth, aiming to help promote self-expression and self-acceptance as well as develop leadership and life skills — serving more than 900 youths in 2017 alone. The organization’s primary programs include its youth centers and statewide satellites, where youth can enjoy a safe space; the Promise of a New Day Housing Program, which provides housing to homeless LGBTQ youth; QBLC, which provides GBTQ and Straight Allied Youth the opportunity to earn their high school diploma; the YES program, which connects participants to workforce development training; and Camp OUTdoors, an annual camp for LGBTQ youth from across the country. “Seventy percent of the youth in our housing program are homeless or experiencing homelessness because of family rejection,” Rhoton said. “That’s still happening despite the fact that we have these fabulous gay and trans characters on TV. But that’s not the real world.” While representation and acceptance seem to be rising for the LGBTQ community, Rhoton explains that many LGBTQ youth are still grappling with suicidal thoughts, self-harm, family rejection and other challenges that are not addressed within the school systems. The organization also reports that while LGBTQ youth make up 5 to 10 percent of youth, they make up 40 to 60 percent of homeless youth, with an estimated 21,200 homeless LGBTQ young people in Arizona alone. “Even though it can feel like there’s a greater level of acceptance in some regards, it’s even more difficult in other ways because they’re seeing negative messaging on social media from our political climate, and they’re internalizing that,” Rhoton said. “They’re having a much harder time understanding it and then interpreting it in a way that isn’t negative to themselves.” Rhoton also said that many LGBTQ youth are coming out at earlier ages and finding themselves unable to connect to the resources they need to reach their full potential. THE FUTURE In a little over a year, one•n•ten has come back stronger than ever after a fire burned down its previous facility. The organization has opened a new youth center and appointed a new executive director — all without skipping a beat in its regular programming. Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire and contributions from the community, the Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation and the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust helped one•n•ten open a new facility within a few months. “The community responded resoundingly CHARITY SPOTLIGHT CONTINUED 40 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | SEPTEMBER 2018

with donations of funds, and all kinds of other things. lf you look at our youth center today, all of the televisions, video- game systems, musical instruments and much of the furniture was donated within a month of the fire,” Rhoton said. “If I could do it over again I’d want to be able to react faster to people and let them know how much it meant to us to have that considerable amount of support from all parts of the world,” he said. Now, the organization plans to extend its reach through the establishment of additional satellite locations, the creation of online tools and the production of additional camps. “There are so many small towns. I grew up in the Grand Canyon for three years with only 1,500 full-time residents. I had 12 students in my sixth grade. So if you’re an LGBT person in that scenario, you may be the only one. Opening the door and reducing hurdles to access is something we are very focused on,” Rhoton said. To learn more, go to onenten.org . Jamie Killin WEB EDITOR @JamieKillin sustainable lifestyle magazine ArizonA’s only Your conscious life M a g a z i n e Promoting sustainable businesses for over 7 years Our mission is to educate, inspire and empower our readership to make eco-conscious decisions for a healthy life and healthy planet. advertise in the only eco-conscious lifestyle magazine in arizona and reach conscious, brand-loyal consumers 480-840-1589 | sales@greenlivingaz.com